The EP-A-659 645 discloses a method and a device for the cross-sealing and separating of a packaging tube. The device has two rotating cross-sealing jaws, which divide a foil tube into individual bags and at the same time separate the individual bags from each other with the aid of a zigzag blade. The blade is built into one of the sealing jaws, while the other jaw holds a counter support. The zigzag cut is designed to facilitate the tearing open. However, it has become apparent that only a very sharp blade will permit an easier tearing open by the consumer. The blade must be resharpened correspondingly often.
Another cross-sealing device with two sealing jaws moving in opposite direction is described in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,254,601. A saw-tooth shaped blade is inserted into one of the jaws, which blade separates the packages with a straight-line cut during the cross-sealing. In order to permit an easier tearing open of the packages, respectively one longitudinal slit is cut on both sides of the separating cut during the cross-sealing with respectively one additional blade adjacent to the cross-cutting blade and parallel to the tube conveying direction.
It is the object of the present invention to eliminate this disadvantage. This object is solved with the combination of features in the claims.